MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO, THE: WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL 1996: SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK {SCHOOL HOUSE ROCK} {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television, and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors the educational series "Schoolhouse Rock." Museum curator Ron Simon introduces the following members of the creative team responsible for the creation of "Schoolhouse Rock": executive vice president Radford Stone, composer and performer Bob Dorough, creator David McCall, and executive directors George Newall and Tom Yohe. Next, a highlight tape is screened featuring clips from the following three-minute "Schoolhouse Rock" programs: "I'm Just a Bill!" (1975); "The Preamble" (1976); "A Noun Is a Person, Place, or Thing" (1973); "Unpack Your Adjectives" (1975); "Lolly, Lolly, Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here" (1974); a segment about budgeting money (1995); "The Energy Blues" (1978); "A Victim of Gravity" (1978); "Three Is a Magic Number" (1973); and "Figure Eight" (1973). Panelists then discuss the following topics: the creation of "Schoolhouse Rock" and their relationship with Michael Eisner, who was head of the children's programming department at ABC at the time; the influence of their advertising backgrounds on the format of the series; and the "Schoolhouse Rock" budget; the creation of new segments for the series; the open-minded atmosphere granted to Dorough as he composed for the series; the controversies surrounding "Sufferin' 'Till Suffrage" and "Three-Ring Government"; and the original four categories of "Schoolhouse Rock," which covered grammar, multiplication, science, and U.S. history. Then, clips from the following three-minute "Schoolhouse Rock" programs are screened: "Interplanet Janet" (1978); "Telegraph Line" (1979); "Electricity, Electricity" (1979); "No More Kings" (1975); "The Great Melting Pot" (1977); "Elementary, My Dear" (1973); "I Got Six" (1973); "Max Is Talking Taxes" (1995); "Conjunction Junction" (1973); and "Interjections!" (1974). The panelists then discuss their gradual realization that "Schoolhouse Rock" had heavily influenced a generation of television viewers. Next, questions from the audience lead to a discussion of the following topics, among others: the hiring of musician and singer Jack Sheldon; the creation of "Conjunction Junction"; the career of singer and songwriter Lynn Ahrens; the help that "History Rock" has provided for those who take immigration tests; their opinions of the U.S. education system; the status of children's television programming; representations of gender and ethnicity on "Schoolhouse Rock"; hidden jokes in "Schoolhouse Rock" segments; the suggestions made by ABC that "Victim of Gravity" contained too much violence; odd requests made for copies of "Schoolhouse Rock"; the programs' lack of condescension toward children; the type of animation being used in the new segments; the reasons that the programs disappeared from the air; their favorite programs in the series; and the fact that the creators' children provided many of the voices in "Schoolhouse Rock."
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: October 9, 1996 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:45:32
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:47483
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ron Simon … Moderator
- Bob Dorough … Panelist
- David McCall … Panelist
- George Newall … Panelist
- Radford Stone … Panelist
- Tom Yohe … Panelist